From then on, where would the money to win over the officials come from?
"Xuan Li wanted to protect the secret passage and did not dare to let the secret of the secret passage leak out. Naturally, he had to sacrifice the Xia family and Jiang Chao. But the Xia family and Jiang Chao had worked under Xuan Li for so many years, they more or less knew what Xuan Li wanted to do. Xuan Li wanted to silence them, so how could he allow the Xia family to live? " Jiang Ruan said, "Presumably, the Xia family believed that the result of being exiled was Xuan Li's idea. They thought that one day, they would make a comeback, so they obediently did not resist. In the end, they sent themselves onto a dead end."
"You guessed wrong this time." Qi Feng laughed. "It was not done by an enemy of the Xia family."
"The people of Nanjiang gave me a muscle-weakening powder, so I could not use my martial arts. After you came, the amount of muscle-weakening powder decreased, and my martial arts slowly recovered. You did this on purpose. Who are you? "Jiang Xin Zhi stared at her without blinking. He guessed that Jin 'er was not an ordinary person, but he had no clue who she was. Looking at her appearance, she did not look like an enemy, but was she one of their own? But she looked a little strange.
"I …. I …. " Jin 'er was oppressed by Jiang Xin Zhi's questioning gaze, and her face gradually turned red. She stammered, "I am Ruan meimei's friend …. I came to save you. "
Yuan Chuan, the man in the grey cloak, stood quietly at a distance from the bonfire, but his gaze was somewhat gloomy. A soldier on the side raised a cup of wine to toast him. "Military advisor, this great victory was all thanks to your protection. Here's to you!"
How could there be a servant who did not even know how to clean the dishes, and did not even know how to serve the dishes. They did not even know the rules and etiquette. Mending and cleaning were a mess. For example, at this moment, the entire tent was covered in dust.
"Military pay, military pay —" The guard's voice was almost crying. "Military pay is gone —"
Every now and then, Yuan Chuan would capture Jiang Xin Zhi and interrogate him. The process of the interrogation was unbearable. When he came back, he was covered in wounds. Jin 'er looked at him with tears in her eyes. Her distressed look did not seem to be an act. After a while, Jiang Xin Zhi also felt that Jin' er did not look like the enemy's spy.
Jin Er and Jin San both looked at Lu Zhu. Lu Zhu noticed their expressions and took a step back, saying, "Why are you all looking at me? I am Miss's servant, not a roundworm in Miss's stomach. " Thinking about it, she continued, "Moreover, Miss is now Jinying Wangfei, your master. What is there to doubt?"
Ever since Jin 'er came, Jiang Xin Zhi's meals would often have a few more dishes. Naturally, that was Jin' er's "good intentions". Although it was not necessary, Jin 'er was very persistent about adding more dishes for him. She insisted on watching him eat all of her extra snacks.
The advisor saw that Xuan Li's expression was fluctuating and becoming more and more gloomy. He hurriedly comforted him, "Your Highness need not worry too much. No matter how remarkable that person is, at least we still have the eight hundred carriages of military pay. As long as there is this military pay, Your Highness will not lose."
With Xuan Li's temperament, if he knew that the military pay had disappeared for no reason, he would definitely fly into a rage. This matter was very strange, but with the methods of the Jinyi Guards, Xuan Li would not be able to find this place in a short period of time. In this way, Xuan Li would be immersed in this matter every day. Moreover, with his suspicious temperament, he would inevitably suspect that his secret passage had already been discovered. This was the true meaning of killing without spilling blood. To let a person immerse in fear every day, no matter how tenacious that person's heart was, was also a kind of torture.
This person had always put on a calm and wise appearance. It was rare to encounter such childish words. Jiang Ruan could not help but find it a little funny, and the corners of her lips slightly raised. Her usual smile was always a little cold, and it did not reach the bottom of her eyes. Under such a relaxed smile, her eyes were slightly curved, and the raised corners of her eyes were slightly lowered. It was a different kind of bright and beautiful color. Qi Feng could not help but stare blankly, as if his heart was touched by something. Then, he quickly lowered his head and said somewhat evasively, "In that case, this matter is also considered settled. Third Sister-in-law, I still have some things to do, so I will take my leave first." After saying this, he hurriedly left.
At the border thousands of miles away, everything was proceeding in an orderly manner. It seemed that they were completely unaware that such a thing had happened in the capital. However, at this moment, it was very lively outside the tent. The light from the burning bonfire illuminated everyone's face. A group of soldiers were cheering and enjoying themselves. From time to time, there were beautiful foreign women dressed in skimpy clothes singing and dancing.
"What do you know!" Xuan Li's face was as gloomy as water, "It's just a Xia family, I am not so depressed. What I am angry about is that after so long, the person behind this has yet to be found. A bunch of useless people!" He spoke a little hurriedly, and his tone was a little breathless. The aides looked at each other and did not dare to breathe loudly.
So today, these soldiers were here to celebrate. They were singing and drinking, and they were confident that victory was in their hands. Most probably, they did not know whether the war should continue or not. After all, the one hundred thousand Jin Yi Guards would eventually become their prisoners, just like the people in the big tent now.
When Dew Pearl heard these two people say so, she immediately showed a proud smile and straightened her chest, "Of course, my Miss is the best. Although it can't be said that everything is in the palm of the hand, at least if she wants to do something, she will certainly be able to do it. My Miss is not only smart, she is also born beautiful. Looking at the capital, who can compare to my Miss? Whoever marries my Miss will really have picked up a treasure! "
"Deputy General Jiang, I am your maid, this is what I should do." The young girl Jin Er returned a smile. These days, she seemed to play the role of a personal maid very well, as long as she did not look at those lame loopholes.
"Your Highness, please calm down." Seeing their master like this, a group of aides stepped forward to persuade, "Although the Xia family has fallen, it is not a complete loss. After all, the Fifth Prince has not made any big moves. Your Highness, please do not get angry and hurt your body. Where there is life, there is hope."
"This is the desert, you will only raise dust." Jiang Xin Zhi finally could not stand it anymore and couldn't help but speak up to stop her.
The two of them were fooling around, completely ignoring the mischievous expressions of the people around them. This was also a secret passage, but it was not Xuan Li's secret passage. Jiang Ruan had previously ordered to have someone guard the entrance of Xuan Li's secret passage. Once the eight hundred carriages of troops' provisions arrived, they were to send someone to stop Xuan Li's men and kill them. The Jin Yi Guards were originally in the business of killing people, so naturally, it was a walk in the park. They used Xuan Li's secret passage to send the troops out of the city, but they did not send them to another relay station. Instead, they were transferred to the secret passage of the Jin Yi Guards.
Jin Er stared blankly and turned her head away, "Who knows, they probably think that victory is in their grasp and are randomly celebrating. Deputy General Jiang, you don't have to pay attention to them, these people will eventually be defeated."
Xuan Li suddenly stood up from his seat, his heart beating very fast. He stared at the imperial bodyguard without moving an inch, "What happened?"
Her tone was serious and full of hope. Jiang Xin Zhi looked at her, the firelight in the tent casting a soft pearl halo on her face, even blurring the terrible scar. The young girl's pair of bright eyes were like spring water, inexplicably moving.
…
Xuan Li's face showed a little irritation. He had already sent many people to investigate, but they could not find anything. How great was the power of the person behind this, to be able to hide so deeply? Originally, only he and Xuan Hua had a chance in the fight for the throne, but he did not know when the Emperor started to value the Thirteenth Prince Xuan Pei. Originally, he thought that Xuan Pei's status was low, and he did not have the support of his mother's family. No matter what, he did not have the qualifications to compete with him for the position of crown prince. Now, he felt that this was not the case. The Emperor's closeness to Xuan Pei, even the once favored Fourth Prince, was not comparable. The Emperor even let him use the crown prince's tutor, Liu Min. This was not a good sign.
Hearing Qi Feng's words, Jiang Ruan was slightly surprised. She did not expect Qi Feng to do this. In fact, several of Xiao Shao's martial brothers had the same habit of shielding their own. Guan Liang Han and Mo Cong were quite critical of Jiang Ruan, but after these few days of getting along with Qi Feng, he felt that Jiang Ruan was truly blessed. People like him, who had superior intelligence, had always appreciated people who were as smart as themselves. In his eyes, Jiang Ruan's intelligence was close to that of a demon, and he really admired her very much. Since he regarded Jiang Ruan as one of his own, Qi Feng secretly inquired about Xia Jun and Jiang Chao's past conflicts with Jiang Ruan. He felt indignant for Jiang Ruan's misfortune, and finally understood why Jiang Ruan had suppressed the two of them. He did not feel that Jiang Ruan had done anything wrong. Instead, he admired her temperament of haggling over the smallest details. Naturally, he wanted to help Jiang Ruan vent her resentment. If Jiang Ruan wanted to do something, he would naturally help.
Xuan Li had always been a patient and patient person. For the first time, he felt anxious and uneasy. A series of events was like a boulder, disrupting his calm heart.
Seeing that he was lost in thought, Jin 'er brought over the food on the side and said, "Today, everyone is celebrating outside. The food is good, Deputy General Jiang should also eat some." As she spoke, she opened the box of the food basket. Suddenly, a fragrant smell wafted into Jiang Xin Zhi's nose. Inside was a plate of roast beef and a few pieces of dusty dry biscuits.
…
Jin Si shook his head and said, "What unmarried woman? I think most men in this world cannot compare to her. Xuan Li picked Young Madam as his opponent. He must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck. He even calculated the Emperor's thoughts. I'm afraid that even if you have the idea, you won't have the guts. "
"That's right," Tian Zhu also stood up and looked around before saying, "She is also your master. Pay attention to your status."
Jin 'er saw that her words had caused Jiang Xin Zhi to become so silent. She became anxious and said, "Deputy General Jiang, don't think too much. You must not give up. This battle will definitely end soon and you will also be saved soon. These people are just clowns. In the end, they will all suffer a crushing defeat."
"Listening to the way you speak, it seems that you are very smart," Jin 'er walked over and knocked on Lu Zhu's head with one hand, "It's just that although Young Madam is smart and beautiful, it's a pity that the servant girls by her side are not that good." As she said this, she deliberately looked Lu Zhu up and down, "Ai, whoever married you is really unlucky."
Jiang Xin Zhi looked at her quietly and suddenly said in a low voice, "Who are you?"
"How do you know?" Qi Feng was stunned.
All along, he had maintained a gentle and refined attitude. Even if he did something ruthless, the enemy was in the light while he was in the dark. He had always advanced step by step. However, he did not know when he started to encounter obstacles in everything he did. Xuan Lang's death, He Yi's death, Xia Xia's fall, Imperial Consort Chen's loss of power. He did not know when it started, but he had lost all his advantages. It was as if there was an invisible hand pushing all of this, as if it was directed at him alone. He was in the light, but others were in the dark. They seemed to see him as prey, and step by step, they lured him into a trap.
Ye Feng lowered his head in embarrassment. There were some doubts in his heart. In just a short period of time, Jiang Ruan had inadvertently subdued so many people's hearts. She probably did not realize that the Embroidered Uniform Guards were becoming more and more adept at using them. The Embroidered Uniform Guards under Xiao Shao were actually not used to participate in the struggle of the imperial court. For so many years, they had not done these things. Now that Jiang Ruan wanted them to participate, no one objected. This in itself was already a kind of miracle.
Although this was what was said, no one knew whether it was true or not. However, the mountains were high and the rivers were long. Since the corpse was still there, no one cared whether it was true or not. A duke of a generation had fallen and ended up in such a state. However, the common people were all clapping their hands in joy. A person who burned the army's provisions was really guilty of the most heinous crime. Who knew what kind of heart he had?
Qi Feng guessed that Jiang Chao and Xia Jun had a grudge against Jiang Ruan. Now that Jiang Ruan had not been able to personally kill her enemy, she must be regretful. If he brought back the severed head, he might be able to compensate her a little. Unexpectedly, after Jiang Ruan recovered from her astonishment, she lightly said, "It doesn't matter. You can do whatever you want."
Unlike the chaotic scene in the Eighth Prince's fu, at this moment, there was a joyous atmosphere in a certain place.
No matter how brave the soldiers of the Great Jin dynasty were, they could not withstand the swallowing of the barren grasslands. The rapid consumption of supplies was not something that anyone could bear. Without supplies, Tian Jin had the advantage of being in a place where they did not have to worry about the Jin soldiers. What's more, they had heard that the Jin army's provisions had been completely burned. For the time being, there was no other way to replenish them. This meant that in the future confrontation, the Great Jin would most likely run out of ammunition and provisions and be defeated without a fight.
Jin 'er stared blankly and put down the work in her hands. Somewhat embarrassed, she stuck out her tongue and said, "I'm sorry, Deputy General Jiang. I will stop now." If it were not for the large scar on her cheek that spoiled the scenery, this expression of hers would have been playful and cute. Her temperament was very good. No matter how cold Jiang Xin Zhi treated her, she could always finish her work happily. Although she was more of a hindrance than a help every day, sometimes Jiang Xin Zhi saw her bustling about and felt that she was a little cute.
In fact, they did not have to wait for the third day. On the afternoon of the second day, the soldiers in charge of escorting the exiled prisoners sent a message by pigeon. It turned out that the three generations of the Xia family and Jiang Chao had committed suicide to escape punishment.
As long as there was an organization, there would always be some secret rooms and secret passages. Although Jiang Ruan was not familiar with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she knew that such an existence definitely existed. In fact, there was indeed such a place. The Embroidered Uniform Guard transported the army's provisions to their own secret passage and used another method to disguise themselves as merchants to deliver it to the border. Not only did this solve the problem of the army's provisions at the border, it also angered Xuan Li to death.
"Xuan Li has made his move," Jiang Ruan said indifferently, "He is very courageous."
"Once the cunning hare is dead, the hound is cooked," Jiang Ruan did not care at all as she tidied up the account book in front of her. Ever since she had entered the fu, Steward Lin had really treated her as the matriarch of the Jin Ying wang fu. Even though she had declined, in the end, the account book and the key to the treasury were still handed over to her. She did not want to deal with these matters, but after all, it was Xiao Shao's wang fu. It was not good for her to just wash her hands of it like this. She said, "The Xia family has been Xuan Li's sword in the court for so many years. They have many enemies. Since Xuan Li has already been regarded as an abandoned son by the Xia family, it is even more impossible for him to do anything. If he was killed in the middle of the exile, it would not be bad to casually use the excuse of committing suicide to escape punishment. It's just a pity that he was freed so quickly. "
Jin San sat down on the ground and patted the dust off his clothes. He said, "Young Madam is really clever, to be able to think of such a way to snatch food from the tiger's mouth. If I was that nuisance of a gentle prince, I would have hung myself with a rope long ago. I can't even compare to a lady in her boudoir, what kind of hero can I be! "
…
Although Jiang Ruan was a little puzzled as to why he had suddenly left, she would not waste her thoughts on this. Now that the Xia family had already fallen, she did not know what Xuan Li was thinking at this moment. She smiled slightly, but in her heart, a trace of joy slowly floated up: Xuan Li, just you wait. Wait to see your great cause of the country, slowly, slowly, slowly destroyed by my hands.
Qi Feng thought about it and said, "Alright, then I will burn these two heads clean. I am not willing to let them be buried."
In the tent, the young man looked at the young girl who was busy beside him and frowned slightly, "You don't have to do this, just put it down."
Composing himself, Xuan Li was about to summon someone to ask about the army's provisions when he saw an imperial guard scrambling in with an extremely flustered expression. He shouted loudly, "Your Highness, it's not good, something has happened, something has happened!"
What was even more annoying was that this time, everything had originally been planned to be foolproof, but something had gone wrong midway. On the surface, it seemed that Xia Jun and Jiang Chao did not handle things well, but Xuan Li himself was very clear that there must be some other reason for the sudden arrival of the city's garrison troops. He just did not know what the reason was. He had also tried to make indirect inquiries, but unfortunately, that official was a block of wood and could not be pried open no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps, he really did not know anything. There must be someone controlling this matter from behind the scenes. As long as he thought that this person was actually so cunning and had been waiting for him to enter the trap, Xuan Li felt a chill run down his spine.
"What I find strange is, how did she know about Xuan Li's secret passage?" Ye Feng muttered. This secret passage had not been used for so many years, and even the Brocade Guards had not been able to find out about it. Now, this was also the first time that Xuan Li had used it, but Jiang Ruan seemed to have already known about it. Every part of it was extremely detailed. For the Brocade Guards, who originally relied on intelligence, this was really somewhat unimaginable.
Jin 'er blinked her eyes, "I stole a few pieces of dry biscuits, and I asked someone else for the beef. You should have a taste. "
"Lecher — —" Lu Zhu immediately stood up in anger, "Who are you talking about?"
Jin 'er stared blankly at him, "What?"
"The person is already dead, and I have achieved my goal. Spending more effort on this matter is just a waste of time." Jiang Ruan said.
In the Eighth Prince's fu, Xuan Li's face revealed a depressed expression for the first time. The teacup in front of him had long been tipped over, and it was obvious that the host had just vented his anger.
Yuan Chuan smiled as he took the cup of wine and drank it in one gulp. The firelight outlined his graceful and mysterious figure, and his beautiful chin was full of temptation. He turned to look at the soldiers who were singing and laughing merrily. Everyone's faces were full of joy, but … … why did the Great Jin dynasty lose contact with the army's provisions after they were burned? This was not an ordinary matter. Those people of the Central Plains, who thought themselves elegant, loved to commit treacherous acts. Could it be that this alliance was not as reliable as it appeared on the surface? Or had there been some unforeseen event? Yuan Chuan slowly lowered his head.
Today's dry biscuits were probably the same. The food that the people of Nanjiang had prepared for him was certainly not this. He was too lazy to haggle over it, and after eating a few mouthfuls, he asked, "Why celebrate?"
Army provisions? Xuan Li slowly calmed down. Thinking about the army provisions, his depression slowly dissipated. That's right, he had not lost yet. The eight hundred carriages' provisions were still in his hands. As long as he had the provisions, he could send them to Tian Jin in exchange for most of the benefits. It would take some time for the Xia family's silver to be used again to raise the army provisions. In this battle, he might not necessarily be the loser. Although it could not be said that the Brocade Guards could catch all of them in one fell swoop, the Brocade Guards were not certain to win. Now, the army provisions were being transported non-stop through the secret passage to the courier station outside the capital. As long as they reached the courier station, the eight hundred carriages' provisions would have nothing to do with the Brocade Guards.
"You don't hate them?" Seeing Jiang Ruan's indifference, Qi Feng was startled and asked uncertainly.
When Qi Feng returned with the news, he saw that Jiang Ruan only responded indifferently and said, "Third Sister-in-law, why do you look so careless? Aren't you afraid that they have been rescued? "
Xuan Li himself had sent people to kill the Xia father and son in order to avoid future trouble. Such a move was tantamount to cutting off an arm. Although he kept saying that the Xia family was not important, for so many years, many of Xuan Li's matters had to be completed through the hands of the Xia fu. This was a good knife that he was used to using. Seeing that the battle for the throne was so close at hand, he had to change his knife at the last minute. To him, how hateful was this? What's more, the Emperor had taken away all the Xia family's wealth, which meant that the silver that he originally received from the Xia family every year was now all gone.
Qi Feng touched his nose, "Your guess is eighty to ninety percent correct." He said, "The Brocade Guards were sent to keep an eye on them. When the Xia father and son and Jiang Chao found out that Xuan Li had sent people to silence them, their expressions changed. Unfortunately, they were one step too late and it was too late to regret. Third Sister-in-law, I acted on my own initiative to exchange the heads of Xia Jun and Jiang Chao. "He looked at Jiang Ruan's expression," Third Sister-in-law, how do you want to deal with this? "
Xuan Li's most intelligent advisor looked at him with some worry. Xuan Li had always walked more steadily than others. Now that his heart was in a mess, this was a big taboo. Once his heart was in a mess, it was easy to make mistakes. If all this was really being manipulated behind the scenes, that person would definitely not let go of Xuan Li's mistake.
With a 'pa' sound, Xuan Li's teacup suddenly fell to the ground.
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